It wasn’t the final result Canada was hoping for entering the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Group B qualifier.
Canada has secured an automatic bid into the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Finals in Prince Albert next year thanks to being the host team.
Head coach John Stuart says he was happy with the performance Canada had throughout the week.
“That was a long day. We had a big win against Singapore. We came out flying. Our bats in that game were the best they’d been all week. We got to cash in runners when we have a chance. We have to have better bats and more clutch hits for sure. But overall, young team, a lot of new guys, I’m really happy with how some of the guys came in and how the team bonded and the chemistry. It was a pleasure to be a part of them for sure. But on the same note, looking forward to next year as well with the full availability of our roster as well.”
Canada made the playoff bracket as the third seed finishing with a 3-2 record in round robin play. The Canadians earned a spot in the repechage game thanks to a 8-0 five inning victory over Singapore.
Canada scored early and often in the win. Mathieu Roy started the game off with a solo home run to right. Bryan Abrey scored later in the inning on a wild pitch, Cory Jones had an RBI single to left and a two run home run off the bat of Justin Laskowski had Canada up 5-0 after the first inning.
Canada would add a pair in the second inning thanks to a Blake Hunter two RBI single and one in the fourth with a Jeff Lyons RBI base hit.
Justin Schofield threw a five inning no hitter in the win, he did not issue a walk and struck out 12.
In the repechage game, Canada fell 4-1 to New Zealand. Ty Sebastian was excellent in the pitching circle for Canada, allowing three runs on just three hits, walking three and striking out nine.
Stuart says Sebastian displayed excellent stuff throughout the outing.
“He was unbelievable tonight. His ball was moving. One pitch got away from him, and that was a home run. But other than that, unbelievable performance. He gave us a chance. He gave us an honest chance, and I’m very proud of him. He did an amazing job.”
Despite not having a full complement of players available, Canada was competitive against some of the world’s strongest teams throughout the week.
Stuart says the Group B qualifier was a great experience for Canada, with many players getting their first chance to don the maple leaf on the international stage.
“We firmly believed that going into the game with New Zealand that we were going to win that game. They’re a great club. They’ve got their hitters one through nine and even their bench players are strong. Pita Rona, he pitched two great games against us. Coming up short, if this was our full roster, I’d be very disappointed, but I’m proud of these guys. We won four games and it was a learning experience for these guys. I hope they learned from it and I hope each and every one of them continues to get better and is in the mix for the roster next year.”
With Prince Albert also playing host to the WBSC Men’s Softball World Cup Finals next year, Stuart says he is looking forward to returning for the event next summer.
“It’s a huge advantage for us with the hometown fans, family and friends and the support we get from the Canadian fans. Prince Albert did an amazing job hosting and I know that next year is going to be special for a lot of teams coming here to see it, so thrilled with what Prince Albert did and absolutely excited to come back next year.”
sports@paherald.sk.ca
